1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receiving terminal, a content exporting method and the like, by which a video image content, a sound content or the like is downloaded from a distribution server to the receiving terminal through a communication network and the content is furthermore exported to a removable medium connected to the receiving terminal.
2. Related art of the Invention
In recent years, a video image distribution service which uses a communication network (communication line) has spread. In such a video image distribution system which includes a video image distribution server distributing a video image content or the like, a communication network consisting of a network outside a house, such as an Internet, and a network in the house, a video image receiving terminal apparatus connected to the network in the house (hereafter, expressed as a “video image receiving terminal”), and the like, a user can use a VOD (Video On Demand) service, IP (Internet Protocol) broadcasting, a video image download service and the like which are provided from a video image server of a communication enterprise or a video image distribution enterprise, by operating the video image receiving terminal used for viewing the video image.
FIG. 14(a) shows a diagram for describing processing details of the video image content, in a conventional video image download service.
In a conventional video image download service, as shown in FIG. 14(a), a video image receiving terminal 200 downloads a video image content from a video image distribution server 210 and stores the content in the built-in HDD 201.
The video image receiving terminal 200 is permitted to play the video image content by a viewing license which is acquired when the video image content is purchased. Then the video image receiving terminal 200 can decrypt and output the video image content stored in the HDD 201. The video image receiving terminal 200 outputs the video image content to a display 202 connected or the like, and the video image content can be viewed. When to write the video image content into another medium is permitted, the video image receiving terminal 200, after decrypting the video image content stored in the HDD 201 and encrypting the decrypted content to export, can also write the video image content into a removable medium 203.
When the video image download service is used, the video image distribution server has to check whether the video image receiving terminal, which is connected to the video image distribution server, can use the download service. This is because a certain error naturally occurs and support to the user is needed, when a video image content is distributed to the video image receiving terminal which cannot use the download service.
As for the video image distribution server and the video image receiving terminal, in order to avoid such a problem, it is desirable to judge whether the download service can be used before the download service is executed. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-512689, a method of making an execution propriety judgment of such service is disclosed.
In the execution propriety judgment of service in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-512689, the video image receiving terminal analyzes data transmitted from the video image distribution server and checks an application program in the video image receiving terminal, which is required in order to use the service provided by the video image distribution server. When the application program exists in the video image receiving terminal and the video image receiving terminal can use the service, the video image receiving terminal continues the execution of the service. When the video image receiving terminal cannot use the service, the video image receiving terminal shows the user the information required in order to use the service such as a method of installing the application.
As described above, the execution propriety judgment of the service by the video image receiving terminal is realized before the service is executed.
In this way, the conventional download service prevents an error during download by checking the propriety of the download service of the video image receiving terminal before the download start.
The conventional download service also provides a video image content export service, in which the video image content, which has been downloaded and recorded in the built-in HDD held in the video image receiving terminal as described above, is written into a removable medium to be brought out and viewed with a portable terminal.
By the way, recently, a direct export service has been used, in which a video image receiving terminal with no HDD downloads a video image content from a video image distribution server, and exports the video image content to a removable medium directly without recording the content in the video image receiving terminal.
FIG. 14(b) shows a diagram for describing processing details of the video image content, in the direct export service.
In the direct export service, a video image receiving terminal 205 records the video image content, which has been downloaded from a video image distribution server 210, in a removable medium 203 directly without storing the content in a built-in HDD 201 or the like.
In the direct export service, as shown in FIG. 14(b), when the video image receiving terminal 205 acquires an export license, the video image receiving terminal 205 is permitted to write the video image content corresponding to the export license into the removable medium 203 directly. While the video image receiving terminal 205 downloads the video image content from the video image distribution server 210, the video image receiving terminal 205 decrypts the video image content through a buffer 206, encrypts the video image content to be exported and writes the video image content into the removable medium 203. The buffer 206 records temporarily a quantity of the data of the video image content required for decrypting and encrypting the content continuously during downloading the video image content. The buffer 206 differs from the HDD 201 of FIG. 14(a), and the video image content is not finally held in the buffer 206.
When the video image receiving terminal does not contain a mass storage HDD which can accumulate the video image content, the video image receiving terminal cannot use the conventional download service as shown in FIG. 14(a). On the other hand, in the direct export service, even a video image receiving terminal which does not contain a mass storage HDD can use the service when the video image receiving terminal can connect with the video image distribution server 210 through the Internet and can write the content into the removable medium 203.
However, the conventional service propriety judgment method for the download service cannot be used as a service propriety judgment method for the direct export service.
In the conventional download service, the capacity check before a start of the download service is not so important because the capacity of an HDD is large enough compared with the size of the video image content.
However, the capacity of a removable medium on which the video image content is recorded in the direct export service is smaller than the capacity of an HDD. Moreover, the copyright protection system has many kinds. Therefore, compared with the conventional download service, in the direct export service, there is a high possibility that an error at the time of download processing occurs.
As shown in FIG. 14(b), the propriety for the direct export service of the built-in HDD does not need to be judged. Because the video image content being downloaded is directly recorded into the removable medium 203, a judgment of the propriety of static capability of the terminal in using the export service is necessary in the first place, and a judgment of the propriety of dynamic capability is also necessary. The judgment of the propriety of dynamic capability is to check whether the direct export service can be used and, for example, it is necessary to check that there is enough space capacity in a current removable medium inserted in the video image receiving terminal, or that the video image receiving terminal can handle the copyright protection system.
Therefore, the conventional propriety judgment for the download service, which doesn't judge the propriety about the removable medium, cannot be used for the direct export service as it is.
In the conventional video image download service, it is enough that the propriety judgment for the download of the video image content is performed only once at the time of a purchase processing of the video image content because the purchase processing of the video image content and a download processing are performed continuously. On the other hand, in the direct export service, the purchase processing of the video image content and the export processing are not always performed continuously. This is because the export processing may be performed two or more times with respect to one purchase of the video image content. Therefore, in the direct export service, judgments of the propriety for the export processing are necessary at the time of the purchase processing of the video image content and at the time of the export processing, respectively.
Here, it is to be remarked that the standards of the propriety judgment for each processing do not necessarily agree with each other. For example, the case where the video image receiving terminal can use the direct export service and the removable medium cannot be used for the direct export service is described. When the direct export processing is performed, subsequent export processing must not be performed because the removable medium cannot be used for the direct export. On the other hand, when the video image content is purchased, if such a measure to exchange the removable medium before the subsequent export processing starts is taken, the execution of the direct export can be performed. In such a case, it is considered that, after displaying a warning message at the time of the purchase of the video image content, the purchase processing of the video image content is allowed to be performed.
In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a receiving terminal, a content exporting method and the like, which can judge the propriety of the receiving terminal and the propriety of the removable medium on which a content will be recorded, for the direct export for the content.